Ian Huntley inquest adjourned pending murder case
PA MediaAn inquest into the prison death of Soham murderer Ian Huntley will have to be adjourned until a criminal case against his alleged killer concludes, a coroner has said.
The 52-year-old was struck multiple times with a metal bar at HMP Frankland in Durham on 26 February and died nine days later at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary.
The former school caretaker had been serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 40 years for murdering 10-year-old best friends Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham, Cambridgeshire, in 2002.
During a short hearing in Crook, County Durham and Darlington coroner Jeremy Chipperfield heard Huntley's alleged killer Anthony Russell is next due at court on 3 June.
The 43-year-old has been charged with murdering Huntley and his next appearance at Newcastle Crown Court is expected to be for plea and trial preparation, the coroner heard.
Chipperfield scheduled another hearing for 15 September to see where the criminal case had got to.
PA MediaA previous inquest hearing heard Huntley, who was originally from Grimsby, was "struck over the head multiple times by another prisoner with an object described as a metal bar".
The attack left Huntley with "significant head injuries" from which he died on 7 March at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, the inquest heard.
Forensic pathologist Dr Jennifer Bolton carried out a post-mortem examination two days later and concluded the cause of death was "blunt head injury", the coroner heard.
Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing after leaving a family barbecue in Soham in August 2002.
It is believed they were on their way to buy sweets when Huntley, then aged 28, lured them back to his home and killed them.
Their disappearance made national headlines and led to police appeals.
The girls' bodies were found in a ditch a fortnight after they went missing.
